Axe Bend

Two toy Viking axes, each bent with a 1M pot and a 1M resistor, recased in a cigar box with left & right outputs. I wired both through one speaker on/off switch, which introduced some interference between the two circuits. You can hear a sample here.

Camembert Bend

A toy mirror that makes a cascading tone sound, bent with a 2M pot and a 1M resistor. I added body contacts as well, and recased it in an old camembert container. You can hear a sample here.

Talk & Learn Numbers Bend

A Scientific Toys Talk & Learn Numbers bent with a 1M pot, body contacts, and a wacky switch that sets it haywire. One of my more successful, to date. Carrie likes this one especially. Listen to a sample here.

Relax Bend

Here's another version of the toy cellphone bend a couple posts back. The only technical difference is that I bypassed the resistor entirely. I think it's an improvement, because it increases the range. I think substituting brass acorn nuts for chrome changed the responsiveness. This one really likes you to lick your fingers. I also put in an led snipped from a toy I busted trying to bend it. I note that it flashes a lot brighter when the speaker is off. You can hear a sample here.

Cigar Box Guitar (Banjo?)

After circuit bending, I'm spending most of my time on cigar box guitars. Another fixation introduced by the oddly addictive Make Magazine, they come in assorted flavors. This is my third. The body is a nice, large, cedar cigar box. I stripped most of the paper from inside, then notched both ends for the neck. It's a 3 foot oak 3x1, as recommended. I cut a notch in the head and stuck in steel-string acoustic tuners. The tail is a little piece of brass, the bridge and nut are brass screws. I also glued in a piezo buzzer from Radioshack for a pickup. It works great. But I'm planning to make more, with proper frets. And maybe slightly lower action. Smaller screws, I guess...
Here's a closeup of the body. I used a 1/2" spade for the soundholes. I'm not a whiz with the drill, hence the messy results.

Another Circuit Bend

So, here's another circuit bend. You can hear a sample here. I think this one is rather more successful. The guts are a toy cellphone from the Dollar Tree. I wired in four body contacts, a better speaker with an on/off, level led, and an RCA out. It works great. And makes some really crazy noises. I gave a Mark I version to my friend Rob at Last Word Books.

My First Circuit Bend

This is my first "successful" circuit bend. You can hear a sample here. It's a Playskool "radio" I bought at the Goodwill in Centralia, WA. It's very simple. I just wired a 1M potentiometer and a resistor into the circuit. But it was really exciting to hear it work. And now I'm hooked.

Winter in Olympia (& Elsewhere) - Part 5

Carrie, dressed for her first day at her new job at the Westside Athletic Center. I found her outfit quite charming.







Carrie and I played Monopoly late one night. She's a big fan, and very competitive.







An illustration of my crushing defeat. I sat to the right. Note that each and every one of my properties is mortgaged.

Winter in Olympia (& Elsewhere) - Part 4

Another rainy afternoon, another rally on the capitol steps. G-g only knows what the event'll be. Sometimes I'm utterly mystified as to what they're shilling for. My favorite slogan to date: "OMV Use Builds Strong Families." It had something to do with little cars. We had snowmobile day, too. But this one is an anti-abortion event.

Grandpa got an excellent photo op.








And the windup.

Winter in Olympia (& Elsewhere) - Part 3

Kim mixing me an old-fashioned, rendered in ectoplasm.








Carrie having a drink after her shift at the Mark.








Taking a break from the action at the Sunday night Skate Jam. Carrie's got an Icee and a fresh photomat strip.







When the strip dried, the results were rather unexpected. It's no wonder Photomats are so entertaining.










Lunchtime at Old School pizzeria, circa January. Carrie and I played Dig Dug on the console in the corner. And Kirk Cameron watched over my shoulder.